Briefly, tell us about your background and career up to this point?
I have been at King’s for 10 years now but it does not feel that long to be completely honest. I joined King’s to do a masters in cardiovascular research because of my interest in the subject. I enjoyed the course, so I did an inter-disciplinary PhD in cardiovascular and biophysics, which was followed by a post-doc. Although I loved doing research, I developed a desire to do teaching in that period and now I have been teaching as a Teaching Fellow in the Department of Pharmacology for two years, which I absolutely love.
Looking back, what has the pandemic and resulting lockdowns taught you?
I think, like most of us, I realized how important meeting/talking regularly to your friends and family is, which we take for granted. You never know what the world is going to hit us with next, so make the most of the opportunities you get.
What is the best thing about the slow return to ‘normality’ we are now experiencing?
Going back to face-to-face teaching from online teaching, which nobody is particularly fond of.
Do you have any current projects that you’d like to tell us about?
With my colleagues, I was involved in designing a virtual-skills practical session for immunopharmacology students where we aimed to deliver a practical class without the use of live animal while providing a similar learning outcome for students. We received positive feedback from students and I presented the project in the Pan-London 3Rs symposium organized by NC3Rs a couple of months ago and won the best poster award, which I was delighted with.
Where do you see yourself in five years’ time?
I see myself continuing my teaching career in five years, hopefully at King’s.
What do you do with your time outside academia?
I will either be spending time with my friends and family or playing tennis/running.
What is your favourite thing about working at King’s?
My friends, colleagues and the students here.
QUICK-FIRE:
Favourite cuisine: Nepalese
Netflix recommendation: Kingdom
Coffee order: Latte
One thing you could not go a day without: Coffee